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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to think my employer is being unfair

175 replies

nuggies · 21/03/2018 12:29

Last Friday I fell down the stairs and broke my ankle. Following a trip to A&E I am now on crutches and having to wear a moon boot. I can't drive and the doctor said I'm looking at a healing time of six weeks.

My job is office based but my particular role means I would usually be out and about carrying out appointments. I live 20 miles away from the office and there is no train station near me, or any buses that run to the city that I work in.

My husband works in the town next to our village and in this town is another branch of my company. Although it is not the same 'brand' as my company, and in fact their counterpart in the city I work in is a competitor, we are all owned by the same company and use the same systems.

If my husband was to take me to work every day, I would need to be dropped off 45 minutes - an hour before work starts in order for my husband to then drive back to his office and be on time for work. I finish work at 5.30pm and my husband finishes at 6pm (and 7pm on Thursdays), it is at least a half an hour drive between our two offices meaning I would have to wait an hour and a half between finishing work and being picked up.

I have explained all of the above to my regional director and have requested for the next six weeks I work out of the 'competitor' office in the same town as my husband (although because they are not in our city, they aren't even competitors to my office). I have been informed that they do not want me to do this because they don't want me working for the competition and they want me to be in my office as part of that team. I have asked if I can be set up and connected to my offices system from the other office and this is possible, but they don't want me to do it.

Now I am massively upset and feel my employers are being incredibly unreasonable. Not to mention the fact I will be spending time before and after closing hours in the office, alone and on crutches, is this not a health and safety risk? Thursdays for example, I will be in the office alone from 5.30 - 7.30pm.

My employers have offered no other solution and I am only entitled to SSP which is not enough for me to live in. It wouldnt even cover my half of the rent.

Help

OP posts:

Nikephorus · 21/03/2018 12:32

Get a taxi to work?

Nikephorus · 21/03/2018 12:32

Or a taxi from work to DH's office after work?

Clandestino · 21/03/2018 12:38

You can go sick.
You can get your DH to drive you to work and pick you up.
See if there's any bus/train connection between his place of work and yours.

It's only temporary so it's not like you'll be hugely inconvenienced for a long time.

I can't see why your employer would let you work somewhere which is essentially a competition. There would be so many implications (legal, technical etc.) it would be impractical and would make no sense.

snash12 · 21/03/2018 12:38

Six weeks worth of taxis the OP may as well take the SSP!

I think your employer are being a bit unreasonable. I was signed off for the first 3 weeks of the 6 weeks when I broke my ankle.

You want to work but they are making it a bit difficult. Are you able To work part time or partially from home?

BarbarianMum · 21/03/2018 12:45

No they are not being unreasonable. You have options, albeit not the one you want.

twobambinos · 21/03/2018 12:46

Did the accident happen at work?
Could you do flexi time for the hours you are in early and late and so work less days

NorthEndGal · 21/03/2018 13:00

I think you are fine alone at work, unless you are trying to do something super active? You are perfectly capable of sitting down with a book or catching up on paper work or calls or whatever while you wait.
I'm sure you aren't being expected to do extra work after hours are you?
I get it is inconvenient but it's not your employers fault

Nicknacky · 21/03/2018 13:02

I think you are either at work or off sick. Not working somewhere else just because your husband works there.

scurryfunge · 21/03/2018 13:08

There are regular posts on my local fb pages asking for lifts to work. Maybe ask if anyone is doing the journey regularly and whether you could get a lift in exchange for petrol money.

Original poster

nuggies · 21/03/2018 13:11

hi sorry perhaps i have been unclear on a couple of things.

my husband doesn't work for the other office, he works for a different company but his office is very close to the one i want to be in.

no way can i afford taxis to work, that would be a 40 mile round trip every day.

i cant afford to be off sick, SSP is £89 a week which as i said wouldnt even cover my half of the rent, let alone bills etc.

the other office isn't a direct competitor, they have their own area and we have ours, these areas are 20 miles apart so any information i could even gain from them would be ultimately useless.

i would have thought having an injured employee on crutches sat alone in an office for up to 2 hours after closing time would be a health and safety risk, what if there was a fire or i had a fall etc? i had to do a whole unit of learning on lone working when i started the job, it just seems odd to me that they would be happy for me to do this.

maybe i am being unreasonable but i would still be able to log in to computer and phone systems for my office from the other office, i would be able to book appointments, answer the phone, carry out admin work, basically everything i would be doing if i was in the other office.

i am unsure whether to contact HR myself directly or just suck it up.

OP posts:

Nicknacky · 21/03/2018 13:12

I wouldn’t imagine there is any harm in speaking to your Occupational Health and seeing what they suggest.

Original poster

nuggies · 21/03/2018 13:13

oh and unfortunately i wouldnt be able to work from home.

OP posts:

Babyplaymat · 21/03/2018 13:14

Could you ask to work from home a few days a week?

Babyplaymat · 21/03/2018 13:15

Which foot is it? Could you hire an automatic?

scurryfunge · 21/03/2018 13:15

The decision to remain alone in the office is only due to waiting for a lift so I don’t think you can argue any health and safety breach.

gryffen · 21/03/2018 13:16

Contact HR and ask for a meeting to discuss options and if none come up (car pooling?) Then advise them the only option left is unfit for work doctors letter etc.

Not ideal but have been in similar.

BarbarianMum · 21/03/2018 13:17

I think you need to be careful here. If you are arguing its not safe for you to be in the building after hours they could just tell you that you need to arrive at the beginning of the working day and leave at the end of it - or go off sick. The fact that you cant afford taxis is not their problem.

A good employer will try and meet you halfway but working from a competitors office is unlikely to be an option.

jayritchie · 21/03/2018 13:22

"The decision to remain alone in the office is only due to waiting for a lift so I don’t think you can argue any health and safety breach."

The OP may not but the company would be right to be concerned. She would be a lone worker (which many companies only allow with safeguards) and one with a physical impairment.

ShiftyMcGifty · 21/03/2018 13:23

It’s not an option. You deciding it is doesn’t make it into one. Your options are work from office or stay home sick.

I wouldn’t be bringing up after hours health and safety issues as technically, once your contracted hours end, you should leave the premises. They might tell you to wait outside in a nearby cafe, if you’re so worried.

NorthEndGal · 21/03/2018 13:24

As previous posters have said, you are asking to stay late to have a warm safe place to wait, correct? They aren't saying that you have to be there alone.
I'm also still confused as to what you think would happen to you alone.
You aren't likely to try and put yourself in harm's way, are you? You aren't in the habit of falling off your chair or taking seizures or anything

scurryfunge · 21/03/2018 13:24

Jay, I took it that the op was remaining by choice. Any company would say leave at the required time and not allow anyone on the premises after that.

DianaPrincessOfThemyscira · 21/03/2018 13:24

Taxis everyday ROFL! I only work a mile away from my office and it would be £8 a day or more.

I think you need to contact HR. I don’t really understand the competition but not really that you’re describing. The only other option is enforced sick time and if you only get SSP that will not be great.

TheJoyOfSox · 21/03/2018 13:25

If you can’t get into work due to a broken bone (I don’t know if you would even be insured if your go has signed you off sick) then to put it bluntly you cant go to work.
I know ssp is low, your DH will have to make up the shortfall in your rent.

ShiftyMcGifty · 21/03/2018 13:25

Unless I’ve misunderstood, the OP doesn’t plan on working late. Just hang out and wait for her husband.

Babyplaymat · 21/03/2018 13:27

Could you wait elsewhere? Nearby coffee shop? If no-one is there chances are they won't want you waiting in the office.

But if they are happy for you to be there, perhaps work longer days as you are there anyway and condense hours to do fewer days?

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